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Editors’ Pick: 28 Black-Owned Businesses on the Rise

Black History Month might be drawing to a close, but the celebration of all things Black should be a year-long event. Taking into account that Nielsen estimates the Black buying power to be at $1.2 trillion, a great way to celebrate Black culture should be to put some of this money back into our communities. In the age of social entrepreneurship, Black businesses both small and large are more rich and creative than ever, so there’s no shortage of products and services for us to lift up.

From vegan soul food to smartphone companies, and in no particular order, our social team has curated a list of 28 Black Businesses that are on the rise.

MADALI exists to provide Black women the hair extensions-buying experience they deserve. The industry has been dominated by other cultures that have built their communities off of Black dollars. Most often these ‘beauty supply stores’ don’t employ Black people, support Black causes or care about the rich heritage associated with the traditions of Black hair. MADALI Hair is 100% virgin, Filipino hair extensions.

￼Melissa Mitchell is an Atlanta-based, self-taught artist, who has a love for vibrant colors, unique shapes, and bold dark lines. Melissa is most-known for her vibrant head wraps which have been worn by Lupita Nyong’o, Yandy Smith, Karen Civil, and Amara La Negra. This year we can also expect to see her designs featured in the Spanx-illuminate-Her bra collection.

￼Liquid Courage is a virtual beauty destination serving the lifestyle of women on the go and offers vibrant, pigmented lipsticks they call “warpaint worn by courageous women worldwide.” They are the beauty brand of choice for modern and upwardly mobile women who provide meaning and value to their families, communities, and businesses.

Southern Girl Desserts is co-owned by Florida A&M University graduates, Catarah Coleman and Shoneji Robison, who combined their family recipes to create a Southern cupcake and dessert arsenal. These southern girls take pride in turning real ingredients into distinct and comforting delectables.

For years, multicultural people with hard-to-manage hair traveled from store to store, trying to blend products in a hopeless attempt to tame their locks. Wendi Levy and Kim Etheredge, two “mixed chicks” created a product line they needed. Whether you’re Black, White, Asian, Latin, Mediterranean, or any glorious combination of the above, you’ll love the way these non-sticky, lightweight curly hair products leave your hair inviting to touch as they define and lock moisture into every curl.

Slutty Vegan was founded in the summer of 2018. Having established roots in the West End community of Atlanta, Slutty Vegan made it their mission to provide quality vegan meals to communities that would have otherwise never had these options. Slutty Vegan actively seek to dismiss the notion held by many, that vegan food is either too expensive or too bland.

Hypland’s brand DNA uses the combination of social inclusion and multicultural awareness as its muse. This integration creates a timeless design aesthetic and unique space in streetwear fashion, where customers embody their individuality through innovative crafted pieces adorning iconic cultural symbols such as flags and language. Hypland refrains from focusing on trends and aims to provide classic clothing that represents and speak to the masses.

8. Figgers Communications

Owner: Freddie Figgers

Instagram: @figgerswireless

Website: https://figgers.com

￼Freddie Figgers, the founder and owner of Figgers Communication in Tallahassee, Fla., channeled his natural curiosity into a thriving telecommunications business. The self-taught engineer and inventor is now taking on the ultra-competitive world of smart-phones with is own custom-designed device after earlier successes. Figgers Communications offers cell phone service plans and mobile broadband plans with nationwide coverage starting at $15 per month without contracts.

Lit Brooklyn’s candles are made with 100% natural soy wax and scented with the finest of fragrance oils. Each candle is hand poured, packaged, and shipped from Brooklyn. Lit Brooklyn works hard to find only the highest quality ingredients.￼

Lofty Ambition is not just a brand, it’s a philosophy. The aim is to continuously generate thought and awareness of how remarkable Black people truly are. The products are uniquely and conscientiously created to uplift, unify and embrace Black culture. Every product is signed with these four words Faith, Unity, Power, and Purpose. Lofty Ambition believes these are the underlying pillars that will continue to lead us to our success and let’s face it; if your ambition isn’t lofty we have aimed too low.

11. Love Cork Screw

Owner: Chrishon Lampley

Instagram: @lovecorkscrew

Website:LoveCorkScrew.com

￼Love Cork Screw (LCS) wines seek to accentuate the five senses – titillate the palate, stimulate the tactile and arouse the aural and the aroma. The grapes for Love Cork Screw wines are carefully selected from various vineyards to give complexity, balance, and intensity of flavors that make Love Cork Screw varietals the selection of choice for many. Since its inception, the LCS brand has acquired over 50 locations including, Target, Mariano’s, Whole Foods and other Chicago land area stores, restaurants and bars.

The Arian Simone Collection is all about affordable luxury. It’s for the women who value the finer things in life and knows she can get them for a reasonable price. The fabric selection and the sourcing are all of premier quality. The collection covers apparel, beauty products, and home décor.

Black Bourbon Society bridges the gap between the spirits industry and African American bourbon enthusiasts through social media platforms, brand-partnered events, and exclusive excursions. They challenge traditional direct consumer marketing standards by curating experiences that genuinely engage their unique demographic, and advocate for diversity and inclusion through speaking engagements and consulting within the spirits industry.

Informed by broad research that encompasses critical theory, composition, literature, and historical sources, WALES BONNER explores a distinctive notion of luxury via a hybrid of European and African approaches. Obtaining wide recognition, Wales Bonner has presented at the Serpentine Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, whilst also lecturing at Parsons in New York. Wales Bonner international stockists include Dover Street Market, Selfridges, 10 Corso Como, and Joyce.

For decades women have been sold aggressive razors that do more harm to our skin than good. Ingrown hairs sound familiar? Paired with foams laden with chemical stand-ins for real ingredients, shaving is irritating. Oui has been able to reduce the blades and increased the quality of the shaver. Meet Oui, the single-blade razor + skincare designed to give women their best shave, minus the irritation.

Transformation is a powerful concept. It’s the feeling you get when the barber finishes a fresh cut, removes the cape, brushes you off and hands you the mirror to reveal the cleanest version of you. Like magic, your swagger soars to 100, and you’re ready to take on the world. It’s with that same spirit they continue to build out their fresh, handmade better-for-you grooming products; solutions to the REAL issues you face daily. Scotch Porter develop products to enhance the everyday guy’s experience, because, well—we’re guys. They understand how painful ingrown hairs are and how you want your skin to be moisturized without being greasy.

18. Mess in a bottle

Owner: Kalilah Wright

Instagram: @messinabottle

Website: https://www.messinabottle.com/

Through MESSages on apparel, this company helps to give a voice to the voiceless. They speak up for the individuals who don’t have a voice by creating MESSages that are emotional, thought-provoking and expressive to the current climate of the world. Their vision is to create MESSages that can relate to anyone; no matter their age, race, gender, nationality, or religious beliefs.

These gorgeous heels featuring an oversized bow are absolutely perfect for a variety of occasions. Get them in red and wear them to a holiday party, or get them in white lace and wear them down the aisle on your special day. Aminah’s shoes have become so wildly popular that she’s released several different iterations, from flats, open toe heels to flat sandals and even come in a few other materials like satin, lace, and patent leather.

20. Nubian Skin

Owner: Ade Hassan

Instagram: @nubianskin

Website: https://www.nubianskin.com/

A nude bra and skin tone hosiery are the basics of every woman’s wardrobe, at least in theory. For many women of color, finding suitable skin-tone hosiery and lingerie has not been an option. Frustrated by the lack of skin-tone choices to go with her ever-expanding wardrobe, Nubian Skin founder, Ade Hassan, decided it was time for ‘a different kind of nude’.

Coloring Pins is a brand that represents people of color. They have a desire for people to feel and see themselves in a very popular market. Coloring Pins is just here to add a bit more color to the pin game

Juvia’s is a cosmetic brand providing you with the richest, vibrant and highly pigmented essential colors of life, taking you from the office to the Caribbean islands and everywhere in between. Juvia was created to provide beauty enthusiasts an affordable collection of colorful eye shadows, makeup tools, and beauty essentials.

Beija-Flor Naturals products are vegan/vegetarian, free of harmful petrochemicals and made from healing herbs, oils, botanicals that have proven to be the best solution for virtually all skin and hair ailments. Not all natural products are created equal. Beija Flor Naturals time tested handmade formulations have given them thousands of happy customers over the years and they hope you get to experience their natural, and organic products designed for hair + body + skin

Oyin is the Yoruba word for honey, a natural humectant and amazing ingredient in natural hair and skin care. It also stands for the principles of sweetness, joy, and love — elements they seek to inspire in their customers’ daily acts of self-care. Oyin Handmade line was created in 2001 by Jamyla Bennu, a lifelong naturalist & ingredient-conscious maker, when she couldn’t find commercially available natural and organic products for her highly textured, natural hair

Ikire uses design as a vehicle to tell stories that illuminate the nuanced lives of marginalized people. They do so without reproach or pity but instead, by showing that elegance is not exclusive to any particular culture, hue, or country.

An official event of the "Year of Return, Ghana 2019," #JamestowntoJamestown is a spiritual, historical and reconciliatory journey in commemoration of the 400 year anniversary of the first documented enslaved Africans' arrival in the U.S. Register today at https://t.co/DrpcSjd2HV

Think you know what voting rights obstruction looks like? #WeVoteWeCount
https://t.co/73OHUOdYnq Read why one #Maryland resident says, “Voting isn't as easy as some make it out to be.” LINK: https://t.co/73OHUOdYnq

"We must DISSENT from a nation that has buried its head in the sand, waiting in vain for the needs of its poor, its elderly, and its sick to disappear and just blow away...We must dissent from the poverty of vision and the absence of moral leadership."
~ Thurgood Marshall #QOTD